Long before Justin Trudeau spoke about electoral reform (ER), another Trudeau tackled the issue. It was in 1979 and that Trudeau was Pierre Elliot. The difference between the visions of the two Trudeaus is clear. One was based on how to make the federal system more robust and more representative, while the other was based on self (party) interest.

If we are concerned about public safety we need to make it more attractive for people to grow, distribute and consume cannabis legally than illegally so that there is engagement with public safety mechanisms. Right now it is far more attractive for people to grow and consume illegally.

That is all the time the Canadian government afforded seals to give birth to and nurse their pups. The sealers claim they will target adult seals in this section of the hunt. But for mother seals and their very young pups, it spells disaster. Sealing boats crashing through the ice, gunfire and the cries of dying seals will shatter the peace of the nursery.

One's mind goes back to arrogant Harper-era shenanigans such as the 'Fair' Elections Act. That was arrogance fuelled by the "we-know-better" attitude of the Harper regime, particularly in its later years. If one is not misreading its actions, there seems to be a similar degree of willful blindness in the moves of the Trudeau government.

Donald Trump is a traitor to his nation and its constitution. He is a thug and a demagogue. He is an Internet troll, elevated to the Oval Office. But on NATO, and on the requisite contributions to NATO, he is right. Because we don't pay our way in NATO, and we haven't for a long time. And we need to.

While it may be tempting to draw parallels between his entry into the race and the path to the White House travelled by Mr. Trump, I suspect at some point soon Kevin O'Leary will realize that he is not Donald Trump, and this is not the United States

In the fall of 2015, my colleagues were puzzled when I announced that I was leaving my publishing gig in Toronto for a non-profit in our nation's capital. But they were not perplexed by the notion that I was changing jobs. They were skeptical of my desire to live in Ottawa.

We often create policies that are meant to protect youth, particularly around drug use. But what we actually end up doing is criminalizing and victimizing them further. With regulation we'll actually be able to start to undo some of the harms caused by prohibition - harms a lot worse than the use of cannabis itself.

Not only did Canada vote against starting negotiations for a nuclear weapons ban treaty this fall, but now that the international community is moving ahead with the negotiations beginning March 27, Canada is boycotting them. The Liberals have given three different excuses, but none of them make much sense.

Canada has sent a powerful message that reverberates across all factions: Canada stands with Muslims. This is what M-103 accomplishes. And this is the kind of religious tolerance and inclusiveness that make Canada a model for diversity around the world.

Thanks to the federal budget presented by Finance Minister Bill Morneau, we saw not the self-described feminist, environmentalist, progressive Justin T, but the reigning prime minister of austerity and broken promises. Clearly, "sunny ways" for the "middle class" are no longer part of his weather forecast.

Particularly in a time when increased surveillance and privacy invasion concerns are on the rise, our role, as citizens, irrespective of our political stripes, should be to continue to press for our governments to be putting in place even stronger systems of independent, institutional governance, of checks and balances.